Care Level: Moderate
Behavior: Aggressive
Reef Compatible: No
Max. Size: Up to 24"
Diet: Carnivore
Formosa Wrasse (Coris formosa)
Description
The Formosa Wrasse, otherwise known as the Queen Coris or the Formosan Coris, change appearance with maturation. They are also the type of fish that displays sexual dimorphism.
As juveniles, they are a dark orange color with white tiger stripes running across their backs. Their fins and stripes are lined in black. Once matured, as males, the Formosa Wrasse transforms from a dark orange body to a light-blue body with green markings across the face and blue stripes running vertically across the body. As females adults, the Formosa Wrasses body changes into a dark blue-green with black spots and they adopt light-blue diagonal stripes across their orange faces. They also are colored with red fins and their caudal fin is partly translucent.
It is best to house the Formosa Wrasse in a 180 gallon tank or larger with a sand at the bottom for burrowing, sleeping and hiding. These fish are not reef compatible and are known for eating urchins, shrimp, crabs, and small invertebrates. They are hunters and are known for turning stones to look for food.
Diet
The diet of the Formosa Wrasse should include: meaty foods such as brine shrimp and mysis shrimp, marine algae, marine pellets, and marine flakes.